Improved marine propelling apparatus



UNITED STATES YPATENT OFFICE.

. WALTER AiTKEN, OF NEVARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR'TO HIMSELF AND HENRY It. FOWLER, OF SAME PLAGE.

i IMPRVED MARINE PROPELLING APPARATUS.

Specification `forming part of Letters Patent No. 39,981, dated September l5, 1863; antedated September 12, 1863.

T0 all whom it'mtty concern.-

Be it known that I, WALTER AITKEN, of Newark, in the county of Kendall and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Mode of Propelling` Vessels; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. and to the letters and figures marked thereon, forming a part ofthis specitcation. y

In the said drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan or top view o t' my invention as attached to the vessel. Fig. 2 represents a section of one of the longitudinal beams D, showing a. perspective view of the buckets o1 ioats and ot' thedevices for reversing the motion of the vessel; and Fig. 3 represents a similar view ofa bucket or float ot a different construct-ion, which may be used instead of that employed in Fig. 2.

The nature of my invention consists in a peculiar device for propelling vessels, and also in a novel arrangement whereby the direction ofthe vessel may be reversed without reversing the engine, the same being a simple and cheap arrangement Vand not liable easily to get out of repair.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe the same with particularity.

V represents the vessel to which my invention is attached, being arranged upon each side, as is shown in the drawings.

B represents a strong iron strap, which must be made of considerable strength, one end of which is firmly fastened to the sides of the vessel. This strap or bar or support passes out horizontally from the vessel and forms-the support of the longitudinal bea-ins D, which rest upon it. This strap B, then, is doubled back, passing back above the said longitudinal beams D, and is again fastened to the vessel. These arms B are the supports of the device, whereby the vessel is propelled,'and are strengthened by the braces b. Lying' between the upper and lower points o f the arms B, and also between the longitudinal beams D, as shown in Fig. l, are the grooved pulleys or wheels C, which revolve upon the axis passing vertically through the arms B. When varranged and adjusted as shown-that is, the

beams D being litted into the grooves in O- -tliey are kept there by a vertical partition joining the upper and lower parts of B at o.

On the inner sides of these'longitudinal beams D, and passing around the pulleys, are the belts or straps d, fastened near their ends to D. 1 By this arrangement, when the powe'r is applied to one of these beams, givingit a motion forward or backward, the other will have va corresponding motion in the opposite direction, and thus a reciprocating motion takes place-that is, while one of the beams in each pair is moving forward the other is moving backward in the same manner and with the same velocity. To each of these beams D, between the pulleys C,I attach three or more of the devices shown in Fig. 2, which I will now proceed to describe. The buckets or oats a al are arranged vertically beneath the longitudinal beams, and are constructed in two parts like a hinge. c is a vertical block fixed to the upper side of the beams, through which the axle g passes, which thereby supports the forked levers or braces E, which are arranged so as to revolve upon g. These braces E are situated one on each side of the beams, and are joined together by the cross-piece on their tops, so that any motion imparted to said cross-piece is communicated to said braces E simultaneously. The crossbars and the braces are all connected together by the rigid rod r, so that motion can be given to all at the same instant and by the same power.

This device operates as. follows: "When itis desired to propel the vessel forward, the braces E are all revolved upon g in such a manner that the arms e come directly beneath the support, so as to hold the buckets open and give that reaction which propels the vessel when the beams move back toward the stern; but when moved toward the prow the arms e are raised so high as to permit the wings or the buckets to close together, and so offer no resistance. When it is desired to back water or move the vessel sternward,these braces are all revolved in the opposite direction, so the points e support the wings va and the points e are raised above the top of said wings. Thus when the beams D move toward the prow, the

buckets are kept open, and when toward the stern are closed. By this arrangement the vessel may be propelled forward or sternward without any different application of the steam, but by simply changing the position of the braces E. Fig. 3 represents a different kind of bucket, whereby the same result is eft'ected. The arrangement is such .as may readily be seen) that the change is effected by giving the peculiarly-constructed rod m a lateral movement, so as to bring the point n beneath the beam and at the saine raise the point m to one side thereof.

The power may be applied by any suitable construction and arrangement ot' machinery. The method I pret'er is this, that there be a transverse shat't as in the case ot ordinary side-wheel steamers, but having at each end and at the sides ot" the vessel a crank to which cranks jointed pitmen, arranged longitudinally with respect to the vessel, are attached, and the other end ot' said pitman is attached to the Vertical posts P on the beams nearest the vessel, whereby the proper motion will be imparted. to said beams and by means of the straps or belts d also to the other beams of each pair.

As my invention has nothing to do with the particular manner of applying the power, I have not represented it in the drawings, but have given the above suggestion to enable one readily to see the practicability of my invention and also to construct and operate it.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination and arrangement of the arms B, the Wheels C, the reciprocating bars D, the bands d, and the folding iloats a a with the peculiar-shaped levers E and the rods n, all being constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as and for the purposes herein delineated and described.

2. The peculiar i'orm and construction ot the rod m n in Fig. 3, when used in combination with the bar D and the bucket a, for the purposes herein specitied and set forth.

3. The combination ot' the arms B, the wheels J, the reciprocating bars D, the bands d, and thel hanging bucket a', with the peculiarly formed and constructed rod 1n n, (shown in Fig. 3,) when all are arranged, constructed, and operating substantially as and for the purposes herein delineated and set forth.

WALTER AITKEN.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. HARTWELL, N AT1-IAN G. DAvIssoN. 

